Jakarta Mulls Monthly Pay for Public Bus Drivers

Jakarta’s new administration says it is considering a new regulation that will award public bus drivers up to Rp 5 million ($522) in monthly payment, as well as a pilot-like work system.

Newly-elected Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki T. “Ahok” Purnama said the current system, in which bus drivers must pay a certain amount of earnings to bus owners or managers every day and take home only what’s left, has made them drive recklessly.

Drivers of public buses and minibuses, such as Metrominis and Kopajas, commonly race with one another in order to get more passengers and meet their daily quota, as well as bring more money home. A Metromini driver commonly earns around Rp 1.5 million per month under the current system.

“[The new work] system will resemble [the one in place] for pilots. They may [take a break] after landing four times, [and] they don’t need to pay [a] daily quota. This is expected to reduce accidents,” Ahok told journalists at City Hall on Monday.

He said salaries might range from Rp 3.5 million to Rp 5 million per month, with drivers serving longer routes receiving higher pays.

Ahok added that the city administration will integrate smaller public bus networks with TransJakarta buses and ban public buses from waiting for passengers on the roads.

“We’ll discuss this in the next three months,” Ahok said, as quoted by the Indonesian news portal detik.com.